I get a lot of direct mail in my home and office mailboxes. I try to open up my mail and look at it like a prospect or customer might. I look for clues, details and “tells” about what may be inside. And, I ask myself what would the prospect, receiving this mail for the first time, see? That may not be a fair question, because I am not the average prospect or customer. Nonetheless, I do my best to look at each new piece of direct mail that I receive as a fresh, original experience.

Working in new business development for a direct marketing agency, I have the pleasure of receiving many weekly inquiries regarding our services. Quite honestly, I am starting to think that there must be a book out there titled, The most general and vague questions to ask a direct marketing agency.

I am often asked why I still hang on to the idea that I am a direct marketer. The words “direct marketing” seem to have fallen out of vogue. As co-author of Successful Direct Marketing Methods, now in its eighth edition, it would be impossible for me to hide this fact. The more I think about it, the more I realize that direct marketing should be celebrated, not looked upon as a discipline out of the early 20th century. The tools and techniques of direct marketing are the underlying principles that modern marketing is built on. Click here to purchase the book.

A few short years ago, I remember celebrating with my direct marketing agency co-workers. It was the night of a major marketing awards dinner, and the judges had been very good to Jacobs & Clevenger. We brought home shiny, new trophies for interactive, viral games, marketing strategy and something called “direct marketing.”

We’ve written before about successful direct mail examples because they deliver outstanding results for our clients. Some assert that paper is on its way out, but direct mail continues to break through this notion. What follows are direct mail examples of our most impactful campaigns and how we pulled them off.

There are a number of different techniques that generate hand raisers and leads for your products and services. These techniques span a multitude of online and offline channels. Most people are familiar with the sales funnel concept: that prospects and customers are moved through a number of stages based on their readiness to buy. Another common framework is the AIDA, where the process starts with generating awareness and interest.

It’s almost hard to remember the day when digital marketing just began to get traction. Think back to ten or fifteen years ago. What digital lead generation techniques did companies use to bring users to their websites and attract customers? In many cases, banner advertising seemed like one of the only options to drive new web traffic digitally.

Improving search engine optimization (SEO) means having an effective content marketing strategy that conforms to updated search algorithms by search engine master Google. One of the greatest myths about 21st century SEO concerns the outdated notion that search engine "crawlers" prodded by specific inquiries are irresistibly attracted to websites composed of a cluster of keywords within a block of text. Just like many other urban myths, the idea of keyword stuffing being the end-all to ranking websites just isn’t true. Quality content is now the name of the game to positively impact search engine optimization.

Many people would argue direct marketing is on the decline. The reality is, however, that the principles and best practices of direct marketing are becoming more commonplace. Technology is enabling direct marketing principles to be applied to a myriad of channels. As a result, direct marketing best practices are currently being utilized in many measurable channels across a number of different industries. Examples include call-to-action buttons in email, limited-time retail offers and retargeted banner ads based on web user behavior. These are all current channels leveraging the tried and true direct marketing best practices.

I’d argue that direct marketing is more alive now than ever. The core principles of direct marketing are being used across a number of different channels, especially digital channels.